Consider that 1080 resolution seems like it's only 50% more than 720, but it's actually 4 times the surface area. That's why the costs sems so incredible. In light of that, an engine that 'only' costs twice as much to develop with instead of four times as much might be considered a triumph.

Actually, if the marketing geniuses behind the Sony cellphone divison are behind this, I expect it to be named the Playstation X or S or even the Playstation DolceVita.

I really, really want backwards compatibility, even if it is for digital only releases. Since it won't have any - Sony has learned its lesson in keeping costs low - it just guarantees I'll just have to play my old PS3 until the PS4 falls to an affordable price

But seriously, I don't know what to expect from a console now that it's been like 8 years since the last one. I do think they'll have a touch screen somewhere in the control, and it's likely they'll include some kind of motion control, since Microsoft is keeping the Kinect alive. Dunno how much weight the TV division still has at Sony, so maybe support of ultra HD televisions won't make it.

I'm pretty apathetic toward the next generation. I'll likely end up waiting a few years to jump into it like I did with this one. The only thing about the next PlayStation that I'm curious about is the price of it.

Sony makes bank on the BluRay patent so it's in their interest to keep people invested in physical media.

This is not entirely true, as they get to keep more of the cost of selling a game digitally than by printing it and selling it to retailers wholesale. What is going to help them is the next XBox using Blu-Ray media.

I've bought every Sony system on its American launch date and imported the first two PlayStations from Japan beforehand, but due to general apathy towards Hyper Expensive Console Gaming I am possibly going to sit this one out. Already have a Wii U.

I honestly don't care. Both systems will be way too expensive at launch and developers/publishers have zero creativity/courage at this point to make anything worth playing. MORE SHOOTERS, except prettier and maybe at a playable framerate! I also fear Japanese developers will become even less relevant because of costs of technology and their foolish needs to try and be either more "niche" or even more "Western" in design.

I really think I might go full PC gaming for the foreseeable future. At least I know when I throw down the occasional investment for gear that my experience will be significantly improved and not held back by crazy closed architecture, insane DRM and other console-esque problems that are bound to get worse.

I'm pretty apathetic toward the next generation. I'll likely end up waiting a few years to jump into it like I did with this one. The only thing about the next PlayStation that I'm curious about is the price of it.

This. Finding out the initial entrance fee and typical price for games will make or break this (and MS's new) system, like what happened with PS3 at launch.

I really think I might go full PC gaming for the foreseeable future. At least I know when I throw down the occasional investment for gear that my experience will be significantly improved and not held back by crazy closed architecture, insane DRM and other console-esque problems that are bound to get worse.

Yeah, this.

Console exclusive AAA games are going to become a thing of the past given the cost of development, so why bother with a console at all when my PC can run the same games at a better quality for less money? The only thing consoles can do better is gadgetry- Kinects and touchpad controllers and all that, so it'll be interested to see what the PS4 comes up with there.

Console exclusive AAA games are going to become a thing of the past given the cost of development, so why bother with a console at all when my PC can run the same games at a better quality for less money?

because roughly half of the games I play are made in Japan, with no PC ports

In fact, other than Bioshock, there isn't a single game I'm looking forward to this year with a confirmed PC release. Even GTAV, which--if history is any indicator--will have a totally shitty PC release, if any.

This. Finding out the initial entrance fee and typical price for games will make or break this (and MS's new) system, like what happened with PS3 at launch.

About that, PS3 just passed Xbox 360 worldwide. Granted, this article is about units shipped, but overall I imagine it's really close, and 360 had a full year head start. The problems with the PS3 launch were about 75% PR issues (get a 2nd job lol) and the rest was just a slow start.

I agree they'll probably drop the standard number system entirely, and my money is on the new device or whatever being called "playstation" (yes, with the lower-case).

More outrageous thought is this might not be a hardware upgrade but rather the release of a Playstation-branded operating system to be licensed to hardware manufacturers like Android. Set rules on what the specs have to be, charge a licensing fee and let the hardware manufacturers take the hit of releasing the actual console. Sony provides the OS, brand and controllers and still gets the standard fees from people that want to release games on the platform.

But seriously, if this is just another round of upgrades with a new console to buy then I care so very little it is not even funny. Tripe A games that need the extra power are about the last thing I care about these days and I've got this itching feeling I'm not alone in thinking that. Bring on the crash!

Again, I'm not a developer, so maybe this is balderdash, but I'd almost like to see a halt to console cycles for a while longer. It seems like at the end of every console cycle, instead of developers working to get more and more out of the current hardware, there's a new one to develop for. Rather than finding creative ways to get around limitations, they just move the goalposts, so to speak. Instead of getting the most out of their sandbox, they just get a bigger sandbox.

I think I've said it in another thread before, so I'll try not to belabor the point, but: all other things being equal*, a more powerful platform is less expensive to develop for. You just have more performance to work with, so you can be a bit more profligate and still hit your 30fps goal.

* Of course all other things are not equal. There will always be some developers who are able to (and can afford to) push any given platform to its limits, and they will raise the bar for everybody else. The problem is, these developers make system-seller games (and/or popular engines), and you (as a console maker) want them on your platform. If one of the console makers just refused to release a next-gen box in the name of controlling development costs, they'd have to watch as top-tier development moves to their competitor and/or the PC.

The solution to this problem (if there is one), is not to curtail hardware progress, but to make it cheaper to produce HD-quality art assets, and easier to integrate them with off-the-shelf engine and middleware tech. The tech/research side of the industry is well aware of this, and you can easily see its effects in how Epic now markets the Unreal engine. Features aren't just there because they make your game look prettier, they are there because they make your game look prettier in a way that doesn't cost as much development time/effort (even if it means it is more taxing and requires next-gen hardware to be fast).

you know, the PS3 and 360 may have helped boost console development costs skywards, but they also helped bring tons and tons of indie games to the masses. I'm wondering if the rise of indie games and mobile gaming has primed consumers to be more accepting of a wide variety of graphical prowess from their games.

Anyway, I'm a bit excited to see what the Orbis/PS4 looks like in action. If past history is any indication we'll still get some great games for the PS3 for a few years, and I think that Sony learned their lesson that $499 was an absolutely dumb starting price for a console. My bet is that the PS4 and the Nextbox will both have a starting price of no more than $450, and I wouldn't be surprised if they started at $399 or even less.

As for pricing - the initial PS1 price was $299, which in today's dollars would be $435, and the initial PS2 price was $299, which in today's dollars would be $385. The original Xbox also launched at $299, which in today's dollars would be $380. So $399 would seem to be right in line.

And I think I'll be sticking with Sony next gen. at this point I can't think of a single Xbox-only franchise that I care about, and since I'm not much into online gaming, Xbox Live's superior capabilities don't do anything for me.

And I think I'll be sticking with Sony next gen. at this point I can't think of a single Xbox-only franchise that I care about, and since I'm not much into online gaming, Xbox Live's superior capabilities don't do anything for me.

Oh man, there are a small handful of XBox only games that I really want, but it's not anywhere near enough to be worth the cost of the system and the space for another system under my TV.

Yeah, as much fun as it is to buy a new console on launch day, there are a lot of good reasons not to. The new PS and XBoxen are going to be expensive beasts at launch, and it's unlikely that the first round of games will look better than most PC games do right now. Plus there's the fact that first-gen hardware is often pretty unreliable, to boot. Give them a year or two and they should have a larger catalog of better-looking games, plus the hardware will (probably) be cheaper and more stable. I'll probably buy one, but not both, systems about 2 years after launch, based on which ones have the best exclusives or online features. I'm leaning Xbox right now, but it's way too early to really know.

Now if someone were to put out a compelling variation of the Steam Box this year, that is something I might pony up for at launch...

I dunno whether it is due to my busy schedule, or something else, but I can't just seem to care about the next generation of consoles. Wii U included.

I mean I did buy a Wii U at launch, but that was only because I knew Monster Hunter was coming out in March. Unless Sony or Microsoft announces a Monster Hunter game for PS4/Whatever-they're-calling-the-next-Xbox-thing, I can't see myself giving a proverbial shit.

I'm not sure why everyone's convinced the PS4 won't have BC. The PS3 still does to some extent, and the Vita does to a much larger degree. I think they'd be shooting themselves in the foot if they didn't at least allow you to carry over the majority of your PSN purchases like the Vita does for PSP.

That said, I own a PS3, but my primary system is the PC for much the same reason. I can still play games on the PC that I played on my 386 growing up. It's not perfect and yeah there are issues but "most" compared to "none at all" is pretty good for such far reaching backwards compatibility. Add into that the reasonable cost of digital games for the PC and that's going to be my primary system. (And yeah, it's hooked up to a TV with game controllers, of course).

But then again I do HAVE a PS3 for the occasional console exclusive that I want to play. So I'll probably end up with a PS4 somewhere down the line but not anywhere near entry level.

Ps4 - i own 3 games for my ps3. It more or less is a bluray player. Sony would need a really compelling reason to do get a ps4

Xbox720 - we'll see what they have, price etc - but i most likely to get down with this.

WiiU - nintendo games aren't enough and are of dubious quality these days. I'm also concerned they will be in a bad 3rd party position again.

Steambox - seems interesting, but price, how does it work if using linux, how much does it cost to upgrade, how easy is it to install upgrades?

PC - not for me, i dont like playing at a desk. I know tgat can be mitigated, but literally every pc person i know plays at desk. I know generally cheaper with constant sales, but new games often same price etc. i know i'd miss a physical copy for a 50$ game. Also concerned about a race to the bottom pricing deal.

Apple - great unknown.

Final thougts - consoles will be less game devices and more all in one set top boxes. I am ok with this, but have to wonder if standardized hardware will be part of this. Steambox is coming this year, but third parties will be making their own. Have to wonder if that may be a future of xbl or something. And remains to be seen if all these android boxes will be a joke or not.

Now if someone were to put out a compelling variation of the Steam Box this year, that is something I might pony up for at launch...

I'm interested in Steambox too, but isn't it going to run on Linux? So the catalog to start with will be whatever games developers have decided to port to Linux. I assume that it will be successful and eventually build up a really good catalog, but at launch you won't be able to play most of the games that you already own on Steam. I feel that for now one would be better off just building a cheap Windows PC to keep in the living room and run Big Picture Mode with some Xbox or PS3 controllers hooked up to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excitemike

My interest in PS3 dropped like a rock after Sony removed PS2 compatibility. They have done little to restore my faith in the interim.

I was pretty annoyed with that too, and double annoyed when my PS3 broke and the replacement didn't run PS2 games. However, even without that PS3 has a ton of value and is one of my favorite consoles ever. It plays most of the big games from this generation, and has most of my favorite indie games from this gen as well. And while I would much prefer to be able to play the PS2 games I own, a lot of them are available as HD remakes or for download on PSN.

I'm not sure why everyone's convinced the PS4 won't have BC. The PS3 still does to some extent, and the Vita does to a much larger degree. I think they'd be shooting themselves in the foot if they didn't at least allow you to carry over the majority of your PSN purchases like the Vita does for PSP.

While I would love backwards compatibility, my layman's understanding is that the PS3's Cell processor is pretty difficult to program for. That's why multiplatform games could often take a hit on the PS3. I've also read that the PS4 is going to be using a much more standard kind of chipset which would make it much more difficult to run games programmed for the Cell processor. Heck, the original PS3 only had backwards compatibility because it actually had PS2 chips inside it - you weren't actually using the PS3 chips to run the PS2 games, which is part of why the PS3 was so expensive. (Blu-ray drives being a pretty new technology also had a lot to do with it.)

Maybe sony can in fact figure something out so that the PS4's chipset can run PS3 games, but what I do know is that they won't make it backwards compatible by sticking a Cell processor into the PS4.

Because the industry, as of now, is not remotely sustainable. It is absolutely insane that developers/publishers have to, with very rare exceptions, focus group their big releases because of the sheer cost of development. And sorry, I don't and continue to not want to play yearly Call of Duty or other "safe" franchises. The bubble has to burst eventually.

I honestly do believe that PS4/Nextbox will underperform and with that, even more developers/publishers will fall. (THQ was just the first major publisher to go.) And maybe eventually big companies will figure out how to actually fund/plan projects correctly instead of just throwing money at any random trend.

and how would this videogame crash help consumers, exactly? Because as I see it, gaming is more like Hollywood than ever before - you have your mass-market blockbusters which are generally pretty expensive to make, and you have a robust indie scene tackling all sorts of interesting genres at a much cheaper cost.

and how would this videogame crash help consumers, exactly? Because as I see it, gaming is more like Hollywood than ever before - you have your mass-market blockbusters which are generally pretty expensive to make, and you have a robust indie scene tackling all sorts of interesting genres at a much cheaper cost.